9_-_JA_for_Brand_Name_FY15_Hewlitt_Packard_1Jul15_Redacted.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Nature and/or Description of Action

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) contracting activity proposes to procure without using full and open competition for an item peculiar to one manufacturer. DTRA requires procurement of one

(1) Hewlett Packard (HP) 3PAR, Model 7400 Data Storage Unit and one (1) HP 3PAR, Model 7200 data storage assembly.

2. Description of the Supplies/Services Required

The Special Programs Office (J9CXQ) is a FY10 new start activity with classified mission objectives.

J9CXQ is an office within the Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Technologies Directorate (J9CX), located at the DTRA Herndon II Facility responsible for program management and procurement actions. In general, J9CXQ program requirements involve the ability to ingest, manipulate, and create analysis end products from multiple data sources. This data processing requires an intensive IT infrastructure and data center. This procurement supports the FY15 phase of the IT build-out/refresh that started in FY10.

This new HP hardware procurement requirement includes equipment installation, factory integration, and warranty service support. Each assembly, along with the integration, installation and warranty must all be procured together as one (1) unit. Total value is and consists of:

Quantity Description One (1) each HP 3PAR/7400 assembly (to support 300TB node) One (1) each HP 3PAR/7200 assembly (to support 100TB node)

This new procurement will have a base Period of Performance (PoP) of one (1) year, to include HP warranty support for three (3) years, from date of award.

3. Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this non-competitive action is:

10 United States Code (U.S.C.) 2304(c)(1) or 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source, and Section 4202 of the Clinger- Cohen Act of 1996 (for commercial supplies and/or services).

4. Applicability of Authority

This J9CXQ IT equipment procurement requires brand specific products.

HP brand products are the only products compatible with our complex computer systems. J9CXQ is dependent on its Data Center and the associated Local Area Networks (LANs) as a primary tool in performing its mission. This equipment must be kept at a high operational level and software releases kept current to maintain maximum performance and support the J9CXQ computer environment. Should the hardware/software become inoperable, a severe impact in the performance of the J9CXQ mission will occur. Failure to the system would require increased funding to repair the damage and an unacceptable downtime.

In addition, HP is required in order to accomplish the following: (1) Expand an existing HP/3PAR storage-area-network (SAN) infrastructure with additional storage from HP/3PAR: HP is required for interoperability requirements. If J9CXQ pursued another technology platform then new security standards, technical implementation guides, and assessments must be performed before allowing the equipment to be connected to the network. (2) Promote judicious use of labor and training: The engineering staff is already extensively trained and very proficient in HP storage platforms. (3) Maintain the existing patch management process: Using HP exclusively (as able and within reason) streamlines and consolidates the application of vendor-provided operating system patches, and keeps configuration variations to a minimum across the enterprise. (4) Maintain existing failover and disaster recovery procedures: The current procedures are thoroughly tested to ensure timely restoration of the systems in the event of an outage. (5) Maintain rapid warranty response: Although there are 3rd party/other than HP warranties, using HP directly for technical assistance provides the quickest and most reliable troubleshooting. And for this particular assembly purchase, the warranty must be included in the assembly procurement.

The Equipment/Specifications list was reviewed and coordinated with the DTRA Office of the Chief of Information Officer (OCIO). There is a potential for re-purposing of the procurements in the event the program moves into the Defense Threat Reduction Center (DTRC) or another DTRA facility. The HP brand meets the CIO guidelines for re-purposing based on the following: (1) The HP hardware/software is on the IT Supportability List (equipment that has already been tested and certified by CIO and security).

(2) The HP hardware/software compatibility/incompatibility concerns are known. (3) The HP hardware/software is certified by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) (DIA is the Designated Approving Authority (DAA) for J9CXQ’s Authority to Operate) (4) The HP hardware/software trends towards common use equipment (to reduce costs in testing, certification and trouble shooting).

In summary, the following general concerns support a brand specific procurement: The man-hours already invested into learning operational and maintenance procedures; the compatibility issues (i.e.

problems) that could arise by other brand substitutions, and the approval by the CIO. Maintaining brand consistency is critical to this procurement, to the success of the IT build-out schedule, and to J9CXQ’s ability to meet mission requirements.

5. Effort to Solicit Potential Sources

The J9CXQ team contacted vendors via National Aeronautics and Space Administration Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (NASA SEWP) and General Services Administration (GSA). Additionally, a Request for Information was posted on Federal Business Opportunities for a period of five days.

Responses received from each avenue indicate that there are several potential sources that can provide the required supplies.

6. Fair and Reasonable Costs

The anticipated cost/price of this contract action to the Government will be determined to be fair and reasonable based on comparison of proposed prices received in response to the solicitation and comparison of proposed prices to historical prices paid.

7. Market Research

Market Research was conducted primarily via the internet, and there are numerous (literally hundreds) of HP hardware and warranty re-sellers in the open market and under various Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs).

Concerning specific quotes received:

A NASA SEWP inquiry for market research estimates, based on a consolidated list of the HP products was conducted, and four companies responded.

GSA Advantage was checked, and the items were available.

8. Other Supporting Facts

The effectiveness of all investments to date of equipment and associated training (operational and maintenance) would be negatively impacted by not continuing with the same brand. This impact would ultimately delay the IT build-out schedule, which in turn would further delay the mission milestones.

9. Listing of Sources that Expressed Interest in the Acquisition

The companies noted below were initially contacted for market research to gather information about which items they could provide and to obtain an estimate cost:

Myriad Inc.

AGSI Systems Blue Tech - WOSB/HUBZone (Women-Owned Small Business/Historically Underutilized Business Zones) GC Micro - Minority and Woman-Owned Small Business FourPoints – Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business

10. Subsequent Actions

Future procurements of software and hardware will be reviewed for allowing seamless interchange of brands so as to achieve more purchasing flexibility when conducting phased build-outs or future planned replacements.

Technical Certification

I certify that the data and information forming the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

7/1/2015

Contracting Officer Certification and Determination I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

X Shreena Lyons Contracting Officer

Digitally signed by

LYONS.SHREENA.LORRAINE.1144950301

DN: c=US, o=U.S. Government, ou=DoD, ou=PKI, ou=DTRA, cn=LYONS.SHREENA.LORRAINE.1144950301 Date: 2015.07.15 14:44:43 -04'00'